


Sleep Waltzing

by autistic_zombie_boy



Series: Acelaw Week 2021 [5]
Category: One Piece
Genre: AceLaw Week 2021, Dancing, Fluff, M/M, Trans Portgas D. Ace, mentions of past abuse/self loathing/disease/etc cause its law and ace, prompt: hurt/comfort, ptsd and coping with it together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-06
Updated: 2021-02-06
Packaged: 2021-03-17 22:07:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,136
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29232774
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/autistic_zombie_boy/pseuds/autistic_zombie_boy
Summary: Ace and Law both have their fair share of inner demons that plague sleepless nights, together they have a new way of dealing with those nights.
Relationships: Portgas D. Ace/Trafalgar D. Water Law
Series: Acelaw Week 2021 [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2139192
Comments: 4
Kudos: 22
Collections: AceLaw Week 2021





	Sleep Waltzing

**Author's Note:**

> [Prompt from here!!!](https://acelaw-week.tumblr.com/post/634828190102257664/acelaw-week-will-take-place-from-february-1st-to)
> 
> This is the last day for acelaw week,,,, I'm so sad its over but I had a lot of fun!! and i hope everyone had fun too!!!! enjoy!!!!  
> also i totally listened to studio ghibli songs (howl's moving castle in particular) while writing this if yall want a song suggestion

There were nights when Ace and Law would lie together after one of them had a rough night, holding each other as their demons faded away. 

There were nights when Ace would wake up to Law shaking in his sleep, silent tears and muffled cries escaping him. He’d wake him up with a firm call of his name and would wipe away his tears without a word, softly asking what he needed. Law would embrace him, tears still falling and shoulders still shaking but he wouldn't say a word. He couldn’t say a word until his world stopped being muffled like it was that day. He’d apologize and Ace would tell him not to, already prepared for the next day to not use his fire unless he had to, knowing without being told that Law’s heart ached for someone he lost when he did. 

Or nights Law would openly _sob_ , waking up violently to stare in disgust at the white patches left on his skin, the skin feeling like a punishment for everything he couldn't prevent. Ace would avoid touching his skin directly those nights, but he’d wrap a blanket around Laws shoulders humm soft lullabies until Law would whisper out his own stories about his little sibling. Ace would listen just as Law listen to his stories and thank him for sharing them with a soft kiss.

And there were nights when Law would be there for Ace in the same way. When Ace would shake with anger, hand clutched at the tattoo on his arm, voice hoarse from emotion. Those nights Law would hold Ace against his chest, waiting for Ace to finally _break_ and sob in his arms. The mornings after he would happily listen to Ace’s ramblings about Luffy, knowing full well he was desperately trying to avoid thinking about his lost brother and ignore the way the burns on his legs would hurt once more.

Or the nights Ace wouldn’t sleep _at all_ , eyes unseeing and glazed over, mind and body numb as he asked a question he should never have to ask. Those nights Law would whisper his answer and list the reasons he was glad Ace was alive. Hoping beyond hope that Ace would believe Law over his own self hating thoughts and cursing everyone who made him think otherwise.

That was normally how those kinds of nights would go. 

But of course it was dangerous to assume anything to follow a routine with Ace involved.

It was a sleepless night for the two of them, neither one able to verbalize what was wrong and not fully able to help the other, when Ace spoke up;

“Do’ya know how t’ dance?” He rasped into Law’s shoulder, both of them pretending not to feel the wetness soaking into Law’s sleep shirt.

“Dance?” Law asked, moving to pull Ace’s face away from his shoulder, just to make sure Ace wasn’t half asleep and sleep talking-- it had happened before, Ace’s narcolepsy resulting in some half baked hallucinations and sleep talking, which was a little concerning on a night like that. But Ace was wide awake, staring at him with red rimmed dark eyes.

“Yeah, dance,” Ace pulled away and Law internally mourned the warmth being taken away as well wishing he had put on proper pants instead of shorts, but Ace stood up and wiped his face with one hand, curled in the sleeve of one of Law’s hoodies, his binder off and pajama pants on, and held out the other to Law. He cleared his throat and gave Law a watery smile, “dance with me?”

It only took a moment for Law to decide what the hell, why not? And take Ace’s hand. Ace led them a few steps from the bed before turning to his nightstand to grab something from the drawer. While Ace did that, Law reshuffled the room a bit to make sure they would have room for whatever Ace was planning on doing. When Ace turned around, he had a tone dial in his hand, Law just watched as Ace set it up before moving back to Law just as the melody began to play. 

Law didn’t recognize the song, but it was a lot slower than the music Ace typically would dance to with their crew, heavy on the strings and piano. And then Ace was securing one of Law’s hands on his waist and taking the other, lacing their fingers together, and he found himself being led into a slow dance. 

Ace was humming under his breath as he led them in a simple waltz.

Eventually Law got in the rhythm of it as well. He rested his head against Ace’s temple and snaked his arm around his waist to pull Ace a bit closer as they danced in circles around the room. Soon his eyes were slipping shut and all he could perceive was Ace.

The warmth of Ace’s body against his, the smell of the soap he used, the softness of his hair against Law’s cheek, the sound of his voice…

It was like his world narrowed down until just the two of them existed.

When Law opened his eyes again it was to Ace pulling back, only to rest his forhead against Law’s and stare into his eyes, the music slowly winding down and their dancing slowing to a pause.

For a moment, they just stared into each other’s eyes in the dim light of their room. And though Ace’s eyes still shone with tears, Law’s full of bone deep exhaustion, the weight on their chest lessened slightly to something a little more bearable. 

Ace’s warm hand left it’s place on Law’s shoulder to cradle the back of his head, tangling in his dark hair.

“That help any?” His words slightly slurred together like they always did when he was tired. 

And Law found himself ndding before he even registered the question, but he did feel a bit better. “Yes, I do.”

The soft smile he received followed shortly by a yawn made his heart skip a beat, and he was moving their room back together so they could lay down. Ace’s arms around Law’s waist and his head on his chest. Law didn’t know when, but they must’ve fallen asleep shortly after as the next thing he knew he was being woken up to an announcement that the ship had just docked and Ace giving him a kiss and whispered promise to meet up with him for lunch after getting supplies. 

Law made a mental note, right after Ace left, to search for another tone dial as it seemed like they had a new activity to do on sleepless nights.

And while he never looked forward to the nightmares, he did look forward to dancing with Ace like that again.

**Author's Note:**

> again, this is it for acelaw week!!! hope yall liked this conclusion and yea!! hope we can do it again some time!!!! until next fic!! stay safe!!! and you can reach me at my blogs here!!
> 
> [Main blog here!!!](https://autpunk-arsonist.tumblr.com/)
> 
> [Art/writing blog here!!!](https://autpunk-artist.tumblr.com/)


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